This play is set in a dentist's waiting room in Manhattan in 1938. The set is very beautiful and evocative: the low lighting makes it look like a painting by Edward Hopper. But I can't say I'd like to work there – it's far too old-fashioned.

It's interesting, though, to note how little the setup of a dental practice has changed over the years. We still have waiting rooms, laid out much like this one, with a reception desk and the surgery just behind. Some surgeries also still display health-information posters, as they do in the play. I don't like them, personally – they're too preachy. Art is more soothing for patients.

The central drama of the play revolves around the attraction between the dentist, Ben, and his assistant, Cleo. We're counselled against these kinds of relationships at dental school, but it would be naive to suggest they don't happen – just look at the number of divorced dentists. We certainly don't spend all our time carrying on instead of seeing patients, however. At one point, Ben abandons a patient in order to talk to Cleo, which would never happen.

Ben's wife, Belle, tells Cleo off for not wearing stockings in the surgery. That could happen today – we have strict guidelines for what assistants should wear, and it includes tights or stockings.

Overall, it would have been more absorbing to see lots of patients, and the dentist treating them: that's where the real drama of dentistry lies. Just one patient visits in the whole three hours of the play. This seems unrealistic, but it does point to an interesting parallel between the Great Depression, when the play is set, and today's recession. NHS practices have become increasingly oversubscribed, while private practices like mine have seen patient numbers fall. But I'd definitely be worried if I only had one patient to treat in three hours.

• Martin Fallowfield is a dentist in Peterborough; his website is smile1.co.uk